In honor of Spring and all of its novelties, I am sharing two Yoga Tune Up® techniques that literally wash away the remnants of bad-habits from your tissues and allow for the surrounding structures to blossom into their fullness. For now, we will focus on two highly used spaces of the body: the shoulders and the hips.

GOMUKHASANA SHOULDER SERIES

This shoulder sweep is actually the “warm-up” to the classic Gomukhasana or Cow Face Arms but it’s so heavily dosed with PNF your shoulders will sign in relief and become fortified.

**Note: Before you start: after you perform a PNF stretch you may have the urge to shake out a limb, or adjust your shoulders…DON’T. After all of your concentrated efforts to organize the compartments of the shoulders, don’t shake things up and let them retreat to their old places.

Watch the video below to shape up your shoulders.

HOLY “TIDY” HIPS

This hip remodel brings balance to the muscles involved in mobilizing the hip joint by highlighting and employing both optimum tissue tension and relaxation. This particular approach follows the model, of quality over quantity so don’t sacrifice your alignment in pursuit of your end range.

**Note: Before you start again, resist the urge to wiggle or stretch after…just enjoy the reset. Unpack your junk drawer with these three cleansers you should surly keep in the cleaning bin that will leave you feeling lengthened.

Now that you have cleaned house, created space and organized your structure, it’s time for your tissues to enjoy their unspoiled tissue-ness and all that includes without being taxed with sluggish congestion or dormant foes. After the above exercises, take some time to stop and “smell the roses” with a few minutes of meditation or simple breathing strategies to seal the deal with the nervous system.

Baylea is a student and teacher of mindful movement. Her teaching style nurturing yet playful. Her classes are inspired by her own self inquiry and fascination with the human body and it's resilient host, the individual. Teaching as a 200-hr RYT since 2009 and becoming a Certified Occupational Therapist Assistant in 2014 has propelled her down a path of empowering individuals to restore the relationship with their bodies. With a trained eye in movement patterns and applicable therapeutic interventions, Baylea's intention is to awaken individuals to the reality of functional and sustainable movement as a foundation to overall health and well-being. It is Baylea's belief that your yoga practice, sport or fitness regimen should enhance your quality of life long after you've stepped off the mat or left the gym; therefore, setting a standard for quality movement and biomechanics is of upmost importance. Along with being a Yoga Tune Up Level 1 Practitioner, Baylea holds current certifications in Original Strength, and Clubbell Yoga by RMAX International.

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Kristin Kandyba

#168491

Very thorough instruction in the videos. In the YTU training was the first time I heard to resist the urge to stretch or shake loose and muscle that you just PNF’d, and so realized how often I have that urge and probably do it unconsciously. I suspect this is also true of certain types of body work such as a massage — you don’t stretch and shake it out afterwards. Interesting.

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11 months ago

johanna

#168469

I totally agree. Tightness in the tissues and along the body can reduce circulation in the body and build more lactic acid. Proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation is a great way you and your partner can increase range of motion and stretch the muscles and tissues that are affected and it only takes a few minutes to do.

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11 months ago

Kati

#161616

Thanks for the great detail on the Cow Arms PNF!

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2 years ago

jialu

#157423

Love these practical ideas and routines. Thanks for the sharing!

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2 years ago

JLH

#156688

Will try this

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2 years ago

KAREN

#154822

Your videos were really helpful, I learn so much better with visuals. So really grateful, thank you!

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2 years ago

Tracy E.

#154196

Thanks for the PNF cues in cow face and the reminder to slow down and feel the spring cleaning / realignment in the body and not shake it out!

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3 years ago

Sophie

#153943

Instructions were clear, they helped my understand PNF. I have a question though, would you recommand a modification of these exercices for people who have less mobility in there shoulder, like they can’t point their elbow up (won’t go as far in flexion and abduction) ? I guess it’s better keep working on the mobility in certain direction first before doing these combine actions?

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3 years ago

Alexandra

#152994

I appreciate this post and the instructions on alignment. Proper alignment is extremely important on doing the poses properly and getting the full benefit. I strongly believe that by focusing on proper alignment we are able to give our bodies what they want and need therefore helping us to create a deeper connection to the self.

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3 years ago

Alexandra

#152993

I really appreciate this post and instructions. I am an avid believer in proper alignment and feel that it helps us to better understand what our bodies need. By giving our bodies what they need and want we can start to build a deeper connection to our self.

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3 years ago

Alexandra

#152992

I really appreciated the instructions in this post. Alignment is very important in making sure that you are doing the poses properly and getting the full effect. By practicing alignment and focusing more on what your body needs you’re able to create a stronger connection to the self.

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3 years ago

Janice McFarland

#152182

The PNF patterns were very easy to follow. The increased mobility in my hips and shoulders felt great. Relief was felt immediately in a bicep tendon issue I had after a fall. Thanks

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3 years ago

Susan

#152139

Thank you for these videos. I love the idea of a spring clean!

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3 years ago

Mari

#151968

Thank you for the routine, your explanations are clear with great reminders about PNF’s and appreciate reminder NOT to shake or wiggle the shoulders once we are done.

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3 years ago

Annette Allen

#151793

Thank you for the great article. The more tools we have to take care of our shoulders the better.

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3 years ago

Krysten Hills

#151398

Great videos. Will have to try this ASAP. My hips need it!

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3 years ago

Dandy

#150475

Thanks for the routines, the instructions and videos are clear and easy to follow, and all the options and reminders about the PNF’S are great!

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3 years ago

amelie

#150324

Just did the shoulder exercise. Feels incredible to mobilise this way, and the difference between the 2 shoulders are incredible. I feel my shoulder more neutral than my usual protraction.
Thanks! will do that every morning

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3 years ago

Karen Stillman

#148127

Thank you, PNF are sometimes not so easy to recall for maximum benefit. Your explanation is clear and simple. It makes performing them better.

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3 years ago

Rena

#147299

Thanks so much for the clear and articulate instruction.

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3 years ago

Nancy

#146477

With students who can not get the elbow up straight without thrusting the ribcage, should they just do the routine with the upper arm only up as far as their current range of movement which may be well in front of the ear?

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4 years ago

Lisa Federico

#146281

Excellent Baylea!!! I especially appreciated the reminder NOT to shake and wiggle the shoulders or hips to allow the joints to enjoy their optimal new positions. Beautiful demonstrated and described. I will be using this week in my classes…thank you!

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4 years ago

Mandy

#146041

Those shoulder positions are generally awkward ones for me. Thanks for the great video and explanations.

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4 years ago

Claudia Muehlenweg

#145998

This really helped me understand the concept of PNF and getting more range of motion in my shoulders in cow face arms and more range in my hips. Will definitely use this next time i teach these poses in my yoga class!

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4 years ago

Sharon

#145916

very clear instructions. will use this with the athletes I am working with at the moment. Tried it myself and quickly recognized the benefits. Thank you!

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4 years ago

Juliet Hewitt

#145867

I have left thoracic lumbar scoliosis and found doing this Gomukasana variation with PNF really increased my range of motion on my left side. I will definitely keep doing it and will start teaching it to my students., particularly my scoliosis clients. Thanks for the tips on spring cleaning!

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4 years ago

Paula Bishop

#145746

The cowface arms with PNF would be a good movement break during the day for people who work at a desk. For pianists, it would be a great warm up and periodic break. While we do move our hands across the keyboard, we tend to keep our shoulders and elbows in a confined area, creating the possibility of injury because of the overuse and underuse.

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4 years ago

Willow

#145648

I love this ‘spring cleaning’ idea. We don’t always think to cleanse our tissues as well as our environment. I especially like the gowmukhasana arms with PNF. What a simple trio to tidy with. Thank you for sharing your cleaning tips!

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4 years ago

Kate Colette

#145515

Great videos, really simple to follow and I felt great after doing them. How often would you recommend doing these routines?

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4 years ago

Diana Germain

#145510

I tried the cow face arms PNF after sitting for a long period at the computer. I noticed a tremendous difference and my shoulders felt so much better afterwards! This is a great, accessible shoulder routine I can take back to class.

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4 years ago

Audrey Ventura

#145406

Cow face can be very difficult for many people to do this is a great way to get the shoulder to loosen up. What a great use of pnf’s for both of the postures. I’m looking forward to doing it!

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4 years ago

Cintia Hongay

#145401

I do these stretches in most of my classes as well. Students love them because of the “stretch endorphine releasing effect”. However, now that I have learned to invoke propioceptive neuromuscular facilitation, they will become great tools for muscle conditioning as well!

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4 years ago

Juliet Hewitt

#145393

I really enjoyed the video on using PNF in Cow Face Arms variation. I can see using this in my yoga classes to help my students strengthen their shoulders.

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4 years ago

G

#145371

Such clear instruction and understanding of PNF – not a concept I was grasping before watching these videos. Thank you!

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4 years ago

Wendy Rancourt

#145362

Thanks for the shoulder PNF reminder. My clients range from beefy young athletes to frail elders, and what they tend to have most in common is difficulty with this challenging bilateral combo of flexion/external rotation and extension/internal rotation. With both PNF and the balls, it’s not unusual for me to see improvements of 2 inches or more ipre- and posttest .

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4 years ago

Lauren Reese

#145344

Great video about cowface pose, I was shocked at the difference between my arms after the PNF stretching! Thanks for the reminder about boy shaking the arms after the stretch!

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4 years ago

Heather Longoria

#145337

Thank you for the very thorough demonstrations! What does “PNF” stand for?

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4 years ago

Lori Palmer

#145328

I love the continued reminders to not try to “shake” off the sensations after PNF. This was really driven home in training today as well. It is so important to let the work integrate.

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4 years ago

Katy Haldiman, MS, RN

#145321

I love the Cow Face Arms with PNF. This is helping me with my shoulder pain and it’s increasing my range of motion. Great video!

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4 years ago

Katy

#145257

I agree! Clear instruction on the pnf for cow faced! It makes sense to go at that speed, and do one arm at a time!
Thank you!!!

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4 years ago

Carol Anderson

#145200

These exercises were in just the right places my body needs. I really liked the shoulder PNF routine, my ROM has been limited from a sports injuries and this gave me more space. I was excited to do they other side!

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4 years ago

shari Williams

#145150

one of my students requested that I focus on shoulders for classes next week. I am excited to share these PNFs as part of my practice. I’ve been doing them and I love checking the arm lengths after, gives me immediate feedback of the work. Awesome! thanks-great job

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4 years ago

rachel

#145124

Hey! I love these routines! well done. Very clear and simple instructions. These are stretches I use often in my classes but I love how you made the stretch all about PNF. I love PNF holds! Have a fantastic day! 🙂

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Jill Miller, C-IAYT, ERYT is the co-founder of Tune Up Fitness Worldwide and creator of the self-care fitness formats Yoga Tune Up® and The Roll Model® Method. With more than 30 years of study in anatomy and movement, she is a pioneer in forging relevant links between the worlds of fitness, yoga, massage, athletics and pain management.